Community Impact: Dane, a Community Leader

How Dane Is Helping to Expand Access to College

Having grown up in rural Wisconsin, Dane Skillrud, COO of Systematic Equities and FICC at Citadel Securities, knew his journey from a small Midwestern town to Harvard was far from the norm. Through the firm’s Community Leaders program, Dane was introduced to Matriculate, an organization dedicated to providing educational opportunities for students like himself. After learning about Matriculate’s mission to empower high-achieving high school students from under-resourced backgrounds to make the leap to our nation’s top colleges, Dane knew he wanted to get involved.

“I was one of seven or eight kids from Wisconsin my year in college and the first from a rural background in half a century,” Dane shared. “I didn’t have many resources to guide me, so I wanted to help other high-achieving students gain access to colleges where they will thrive.”

Matriculate guides thousands of high-achieving high school students from under-represented backgrounds (e.g., low-income, single-parent households) through college preparation, selection and admissions. The organization pairs high school students from across the country—many of whom will be the first in their families to go to college—with advising fellows i.e., undergraduate mentors who help students throughout the application, enrollment and transition process.

As a board member, Dane serves on both the strategy and finance committees, applying his professional skills to improve the organization’s operations, decision-making and long-term planning. He has already helped the team define and evaluate near-term goals to ensure the organization can sustainably serve students, increase opportunity in the years ahead and maximize its overall impact.

“Matriculate’s board members bring a wealth of business experience, which has been particularly beneficial as the organization grows,” Dane shared.

In addition to providing opportunity to these promising students, Dane’s partnership with Matriculate has influenced his own work at Citadel Securities. By grounding him in the campus experience, Dane has gained valuable insight that informs how the firm should approach prospective talent. Also, the staff at Matriculate reminded him of the power of being a compassionate, caring leader, inspiring him to embody these values with his team.

Visit our Civic Leadership page to learn more about our Community Leaders program.